BOZEMAN –Montana State University School of Film and Photography graduates stole the show Friday as Montana PBS received seven 2013 Northwest Regional Emmy nominations.

Montana PBS received three nominations for “11th & Grant with Eric Funk” and the film “Indian Relay” received four. An independent film distributed by Montana PBS, “Not Yet Begun to Fight,” received three nominations.

Most of the individuals who worked on “Indian Relay” and “11th & Grant” are graduates of the MSU School of Film and Photography bachelor’s or master’s program, said Aaron Pruitt, Montana PBS director of content, and executive producer for both programs.

“It is remarkable to have this many alumni recognized for quality work, and it says a lot about the school,” Pruitt said. “We have a great track record of working with talented students and watching them develop into professionals who then take their talent to a national level.”

“Indian Relay,” an independent collaboration between Montana PBS and MSU alumna Charles Dye, who is also the director and producer for Dye Works Film, follows three teams from different American Indian communities as they prepare for and compete in an Indian relay season.

The photographers brought creative cinematography to the “Indian Relay” project said Pruitt adding that all of them were graduates of the MSU Master of Fine Arts program in the School of Film and Photography. Daniel Schmidt, Dawson Dunning, Rick Smith, Christi Cooper and Dye were all nominated for an Emmy in photography.

“The high-speed stuff was very dramatic – it’s amazing to look at and see what goes on in a split second,” Pruitt said about the film that aired nationwide in November.

According to Pruitt, he and Scott Sterling, senior broadcast producer for Montana PBS and director of “11th & Grant,” submitted “Tumbledown House,” an episode featuring vocalist Gillian Howe and guitarist Tyler Miller for the Emmy because of the unique nature of the prohibition jazz music and Howe’s voice. “We were also very pleased with the visuals,” Pruitt added.

Jeremiah Slovarp, audio director and owner of Jereco Studios, is an adjunct professor in the MSU School of Music and was nominated in the audio category. Sterling was also nominated in the crafts category as a graphic artist.

“Indian Relay” nominees in the cultural documentary category include Montana PBS; Dye, producer; Pruitt, executive producer; Darren Kipp, co-producer; M.L. Smoker, writer; Katie Lose Gilbertson, editor; Andy Adkins, editor; and Jaime Jelenchick Jacobsen, field producer. Adkins, Gilbertson and Jacobsen all received a master’s in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from MSU. Pruitt and Sterling are both graduates of the School of Film and Photography.